372 EAMBLES OF A NATUEALIST. [Oh. XXI. 



had dropped her girdle as she rose from the sea. But how- 

 ever it deserved the name, it was not the rare Cestum 

 Veneris, but undoubtedly a chain of Salpse.* They were 

 near one another, and seen nearly at the same time ; and as 

 it was impossible to get them, I immediately made a sketch 

 of them from observation. Singularly enough, on a subse- 

 quent day, in a dead calm, I once more saw both these 

 objects in close proximity, and was able to verify and correct 

 my sketch. We were at the moment getting up steam ; and 

 although a boat was lowered for another object, by which 

 an interesting discovery was indeed made, these beautiful 

 creatures had drifted out of sight, and scarcely was the ob- 

 ject of its being lowered attained when the boat was recalled, 

 and we were going through the shoals of marine wonders, 

 propelled by the screw at six or seven knots an hour. How 

 I longed to be in a sailing ship, with no steam at com- 

 mand to hurrj' one on just as the most interesting moments 

 arrived ! 



* For these two objects the reader is referred to the engraving on the 

 opposite page. 



